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Last evening’s entertaining went off without a hitch.  We were just having a dear friend of our over for a belated birthday dinner as he just got back from Newport.  It was a simple evening that consisted of a small selection of cocktail nibbles (crackers, cheeses, and dips).   Gin and tonic, Rum and seltzer, and some fantastic white wine were the beverages of choice.  For starters a guests were offered a choice of gluten free (penne) or regular (rigatoni) in a wonderfully delicious broccoli rabe and sausage sauce topped with freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (recipe will soon  follow).  For the main course was an organic seasoned turkey breast paired with organic mixed greens with my famous salad dressing (working on getting permission from my other half whose uncle originated the recipe to post on my site, I added my own twist, but don’t want to give away any family secrets, LOL).  For dessert a simple vanilla ice cream was paired with a rich chocolate sauce for just a little bit of additional sweet on sweet goodness.

Now, yes, I normally do not prepare gluten free and gluten dishes for entertaining (it is just a lot of work and quite frankly there are enough gluten free options out the that it is not a problem) but had some pasta from when my parents were visiting that needed to be used.  It really was not a big deal to have two pots boiling away and just remember to stir with separate utensils AND strain the gluten free pasta first.
 
Holiday Road... 09/04/2009
 
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Ah, a long holiday weekend ahead here in the United States.  Time to put away the summer whites (seriously people, away) and get into the fall mind set.  So what will GFM be doing you ask?  Well, being gluten free and fabulous of course.  I figured what better time than this weekend to add the second restaurant to my QNYGF series and I promise it will not disappoint.  It is my first time at this particular locale so it should prove a very interesting challenge.  Remember, I am not only Celiac but also hyper-allergic to shellfish, ALL shellfish.  I am really looking forward to giving this place a go – ah, the lengths I go to for my readers, LOL.

I also have an impressive selection of gluten free treats to eat my way through this weekend (thank goodness for the extra day in there) so lots of new and delicious product reviews are on their way. Oh, and since I am quite frankly a bit of a lush, I am adding a new cocktail category to my Recipes section so you will definitely not want to miss that. 

Hopefully the weather will remain as lovely as it is today and I will be able to enjoy a relaxing weekend of gluten free gluttony.
 
Cocktail Culture 07/12/2009
 
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Now when I originally developed the recipe section I thought the focus would be, of course, delicious gluten free options for the table.  Yet, yesterday evening I had a bit of a Eureka moment.  Five o’clock is historically cocktail time in my house and I am a big wine fan.  My partner on the other hand is a fan of the real cocktail aficionado and it tends to rub off on me from time to time.  Hey, it is after all about living fabulously, right?

I went to high school in Germany and developed a strong love of all things beer (good beer, thank you very much, not the swill that is often passed off here in the United States).  Alas, my celiac diagnosis threw a wrench into my love of beer, so I sought out other options over time.  Fine wine became a strong favorite and the occasional cocktail used to work its way into my repertoire sometimes.  With the influx of gluten free beers of late, I will certainly give them a try, but I am not holding out too much hope – and quite frankly my love of wine has likely eclipsed beer but time will tell.

But I digress....yesterday’s cocktail time had me feeling creative.  So, as I looked around the kitchen I found some delicious blood red plums languishing in the fruit bowl.  The refrigerator yielded some perfectly chilled green apple flavored vodka and seltzer.   What do you get when you combine the three?  Cocktail nirvana.

In a highball glass I took some ice, a good amount (but to your taste is fine as well) of the vodka, some of the plum juice (just a tinge) and a splash of seltzer.  Garnish with a gorgeous slice of thin plum and viola!  The subtle flavor of the apple pairs perfectly with the slight sweet and tang of the plum and the effervescence of the seltzer tickles your palate. 

These were simply delish and notice the plural “these”.  I just could not help myself and enjoyed a wonderful evening at home, watching new and vintage British television sourced directly from across the pond.  Settled in for a fantastic dinner and some good chocolate for dessert and Gluten Free Mike was a very happy camper.